My son and I loaded 4wheelers with deer, or farm equipment, large water tanks on my old '99, and never had any break. I've had 4 people averagin 175 lbs. each sitting on the tailgate, and that comes out to 700 lbs. In the north Texas area, we get little in the way of sand/salt or salt water air, so very little natural cause of corrosion, however if you live in an area where sand/salt are seasonally frequent, and/or an area where saltwater is close by, then the cables could corrode much sooner. HTH.

 

i had a 94 chevy 1/2 ton and replaced my cable every 3 years.they rotted rigth at the bend...wish they still had the steel mechanicl hinge type..........scott

 

I've my 500HO 4x4 Sportsman with my dad on it and they have held. I just rode with the tailgate down to many times and I hit to many bumps and they just snapped.

 

I think that if there is water it will run down into the bend and then the cable must snap in the middle. <br>I had to replace mine. The ones I got had an encounter with a canister of WD40... <br><br>AlpineRAM